It can all change in the blink of an eye The West was awake and well but over the space of 48 hours all went quiet with the defeat of the hurlers and footballers. Who would have predicted these results? My job is to talk hurling and having watched Galway over the last few weeks - one would have said that this was a team to challenge Kilkenny and Tipperary. The victory over Cork was a real boost for them and showed the consistency of team selection which has been a big bug bear of mine for the last number of years with Galway hurling. For the last few weeks the same starting fifteen had given the team a new spring in their step and a new air of confidence that things would gradually change for them and that silverware was not too far away. But what impressed me most was the sheer physical presence brought to their game by their defence but more importantly by the forward line, which was never willing to give up on possession and stop their opponents from making easy clearances. They were all the trademarks of what the Cats would do to you. It just seemed like onwards and upwards with energy, youth and Joe Canning their core strengths. For long periods it looked exceptionally good against Cork but there was an underlying factor that did not convince me. They never put the Rebels away and almost allowed themselves be caught within the last few minutes of the game. For all the possession, work rate and the conversion of some outstanding frees by Joe, the final furlong only showed on the scoreboard with them one point ahead. It left them vulnerable and they should have paid the ultimate price with Niall McCarthy converting that last chance for victory. Was it a sign of things to come? Roll on the All-Ireland quarter-final versus Waterford and what happens? Plenty of possession, good scores and their destiny in their own hands but they fail to put their opponents away and the door is left open for Waterford to pounce, and boy did they take their opportunity. There was a lot of hard work put into the Galway year but they have nothing to show for it in the end and that will hurt them for a long time to come. They have got to learn to be ruthless and kill off the opposition at every opportunity. There is no doubt they have the talent and that makes the defeat even harder to take. John McIntyre has done a great job and needs to continue in that fashion and to be fair, a few injuries at key stages in the year did not help his cause. Galway need to chill out and think of this year as work in progress and look forward to next season. There is no doubt that playing in Leinster has benefited this team and will do so over the next few years while we wait for the open draw. What of the Deise? Everybody had written them off as a team that would never recover from the defeat of last years All-Ireland final. I must admit that at some stages in the Munster championship this year, I felt the same and that they were very flat and were much reliant on John Mullane up front to get the scores and win games for them. There seemed to be unease in the camp and questions were being asked of Davy Fitzgerald and his ability to get the best out of players, particularly the more experienced ones. All that is now forgotten after the narrow defeat by Tipperary in the Munster final and by the way they pulled the game out of the fire against Galway. At stages in the second half they looked like the team we all used to enjoy watching - high quality scores and hearts in the mouth stuff. For me the highlight was the introduction of big Dan who excited the crowd no end and together with his younger brother turned this game on its head with their immediate impact. If you become Hurler of the Year, you are a talented player and one that never loses his talent. You might lose your appetite ... you might lose your hunger or go through a lean spell, but the managers job is to get the best out of individuals. If a player loses confidence in his own ability, there is only one way he can get that back and that is by playing games. It is the smallest of things that can change a guy's season and the first catch for Dan against Galway the last day may be the turning point. Hopefully for Dan and Waterford it is. They need him and he needs them. Other positives for Waterford over the last few weeks were the performance of their minor team in the Munster final and the achievement of their U21 team to get to the final. Throw in the intermediate team in the final also and everything in the garden looks rosy for the future but every supporter will know that defeating the Cats would be their greatest achievement ever. They have that chance now and most observers would say that the only time to beat Kilkenny is at the semi final stage. Forget about last year - it is over and done with - now is a new leaf and a new chapter - it will be difficult but nobody said it was ever going to be easy. Relegation What a farce this has become - who needed this? Certainly not hurling. We need as many top counties playing the game at as a high a level as possible. Losing the likes of Offaly, Wexford, Clare or Antrim to the Christy Ring Cup would have been a disaster for these counties in promoting the game. Hopefully common sense will prevail and this will be abandoned with immediate effect and Carlow also will get their day in the sun to compete in the McCarthy Cup as they deserve it with all the hard work over the years, with their development squads and underage structures now proving a success. Tweet

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